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QB Jackson Arnold leading No. 16 Oklahoma into opener vs. Temple as Sooners settle into SEC

He will lead the Sooners against Temple on Friday night in his second career start.

QB Jackson Arnold leading No. 16 Oklahoma into opener vs. Temple as Sooners settle into SEC

He will lead the Sooners against Temple on Friday night in his second career start.

BEEN MADE. AND 602 IS YOUR TIME. FOOTBALL FANS IN OKLAHOMA ARE EXCITED. THE SOONERS SENIOR SEASON OPENER. I’M SO EXCITED. I CAN’T GET THE WORDS OUT. WORDS. THE SEASON OPENERS TONIGHT, THE COWBOYS PLAY TOMORROW. YEAH, AUDREY GOODSON IS IN NORMAN THIS MORNING WITH THEIR OFFICIAL LAUNCH INTO THE SEC. AND ALL THE PARTIES AHEAD. KYLIE AND ALEJANDRA. THAT IS RIGHT. IT IS OFFICIALLY FOOTBALL TIME IN OKLAHOMA. THE PALACE ON THE PRAIRIE IS EXPECTED TO BE PACKED WITH OU FANS TONIGHT. IN THEIR FIRST GAME AS OFFICIAL, MEMBERS OF THE SEC, THE UNIVERSITY IS KICKING OFF THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND WITH A FULL GAME DAY EXPERIENCE. THEY’RE EVEN CANCELING CLASSES TODAY FOR STUDENTS TO CELEBRATE THE START OF THE NEW SEC ERA, VISIT NORMAN IS ADDING A NEW GAME DAY EXPERIENCE FOR FANS, LAUNCHING THE CRIMSON FRIDAYS MUSIC SERIES. FANS CAN ENJOY LIVE MUSIC TRADITIONS. GETTING STARTED, AND WE’RE ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET. TOMORROW WILL BE TEMPLE FANS, BUT WE’RE GOING TO SHOW THE SEC WHAT NORMAN HOSPITALITY IS ALL ABOUT NOW. IT’S NOT JUST A NEW ERA FOR THE SOONERS, BUT IT’S ALSO A NEW ERA FOR THE COWBOYS AS WELL. OSU FOOTBALL RETURNS TOMORROW PLAYING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE, AND IT’S GOING TO BE A PRETTY TOUGH TEST. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE JACKRABBITS HAVE WON 29 GAMES IN A ROW, AND WE’RE GOING TO BE HERE TO BRING YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BOTH GAMES IN NORMAN, AUDREY GOODSON, KOCO FIVE NEWS AND NORMAN POLICE SHARING THIS MAP. IT SHOWS DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU CAN GET TO THE STADIUM LATER TODAY. SO TAKE A LOOK. IT’S ON YOUR SCREEN RIGHT NOW. THE BLUE ROADS WILL OPEN, BUT THOSE RED SECTIONS OF L
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QB Jackson Arnold leading No. 16 Oklahoma into opener vs. Temple as Sooners settle into SEC

He will lead the Sooners against Temple on Friday night in his second career start.

It’s finally Jackson Arnold’s time.The former five-star quarterback opens the season as No. 16 Oklahoma’s starter after waiting behind Dillon Gabriel last season. He will lead the Sooners against Temple on Friday night in his second career start.Arnold steps into a position that has produced like few others in college football. Oklahoma has featured Gabriel, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams at quarterback in the past decade. Mayfield and Murray each won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma and Williams played a year with the Sooners before transferring to USC and winning a Heisman there. Mayfield, Murray and Williams were No. 1 overall picks in the NFL draft.Arnold understood the history when he signed. He hopes to someday have a statue at Heisman Park across from Memorial Stadium – an honor previously bestowed upon Oklahoma’s seven Heisman winners, including four quarterbacks.“It’s a ton to live up to,” he said. “But at the same time, I want to create a name for myself, create a legacy for myself, and really, I don’t want to be compared to one of those guys. I want to be the best version of myself, and hopefully I can get a statue out there one day.”Arnold passed for 361 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in his first college start, a loss Arizona in the Alamo Bowl last season. He left an impression on Temple coach Stan Drayton.“That was a very talented football player that we saw playing quarterback against Arizona,” Drayton said.Backup quarterbackFreshman Michael Hawkins won the battle with Casey Thompson for the spot behind Arnold.Thompson has passed for 5,338 yards in a career that took him to Texas, Nebraska and Florida Atlantic before he landed where his father, Charles Thompson, played quarterback in the 1980s.Coach Brent Venables considered it no small feat that Hawkins earned the spot over such a proven veteran. Venables said Thompson has been a great mentor for the younger quarterbacks, but Hawkins performed better overall.“Mike has shown us a lot of things,” Venables said. “Tremendous playmaker, really focused and locked-in. Fundamentally sound. He’s got a big arm. He’s a quick decision maker. He can improvise and keep his eyes down the field. He can beat you with his legs. As I said, there’s not a route that he can’t excel in.”Not naming a QBDrayton resisted naming a starting quarterback between Forrest Brock, Evan Simon and Tyler Douglas. It wasn’t that he hadn’t picked one, it was that being undecided seems to have helped the Temple quarterback room.“What I’m not going to do today is announce a starting quarterback,” he said during his weekly availability. “I have a great competitive situation going on in that room right now, and I don’t want to lose that edge. Iron sharpens iron mindset, and everybody in that room is is getting better.”Temple TuffTemple has named its Temple Tuff players as selected by their teammates who will wear single digit numbers this season.This year’s honorees are linebacker D.J. Woodbury (0), receiver Ian Stewart (1), safety Andreas Keaton (2), defensive end Tra Thomas (3), cornerback Elijah Deravil (4), receiver Dante Wright (5), defensive tackle Latrell Jean (7), tight end James Della Pesca (8) and defensive tackle Demerick Morris (9).Stewart is the only one returning from last season.Anderson outOklahoma receiver Nic Anderson will miss the opener as he recovers from an undisclosed injury. The 6-foot-4 sophomore caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Oklahoma already had announced it had lost receiver Jayden Gibson for the season with a knee injury.Andrel Anthony, who led Oklahoma in yards receiving last season before being knocked out for the year with a leg injury, will be available.QuotableDrayton, after being pressed about the quarterback situation: “That’s for us, not for y’all. I apologize.”

It’s finally Jackson Arnold’s time.

The former five-star quarterback opens the season as No. 16 Oklahoma’s starter after waiting behind Dillon Gabriel last season. He will lead the Sooners against Temple on Friday night in his second career start.

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Arnold steps into a position that has produced like few others in college football. Oklahoma has featured Gabriel, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams at quarterback in the past decade. Mayfield and Murray each won the Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma and Williams played a year with the Sooners before transferring to USC and winning a Heisman there. Mayfield, Murray and Williams were No. 1 overall picks in the NFL draft.

Arnold understood the history when he signed. He hopes to someday have a statue at Heisman Park across from Memorial Stadium – an honor previously bestowed upon Oklahoma’s seven Heisman winners, including four quarterbacks.

“It’s a ton to live up to,” he said. “But at the same time, I want to create a name for myself, create a legacy for myself, and really, I don’t want to be compared to one of those guys. I want to be the best version of myself, and hopefully I can get a statue out there one day.”

Arnold passed for 361 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions in his first college start, a loss Arizona in the Alamo Bowl last season. He left an impression on Temple coach Stan Drayton.

“That was a very talented football player that we saw playing quarterback against Arizona,” Drayton said.

Backup quarterback

Freshman Michael Hawkins won the battle with Casey Thompson for the spot behind Arnold.

Thompson has passed for 5,338 yards in a career that took him to Texas, Nebraska and Florida Atlantic before he landed where his father, Charles Thompson, played quarterback in the 1980s.

Coach Brent Venables considered it no small feat that Hawkins earned the spot over such a proven veteran. Venables said Thompson has been a great mentor for the younger quarterbacks, but Hawkins performed better overall.

“Mike has shown us a lot of things,” Venables said. “Tremendous playmaker, really focused and locked-in. Fundamentally sound. He’s got a big arm. He’s a quick decision maker. He can improvise and keep his eyes down the field. He can beat you with his legs. As I said, there’s not a route that he can’t excel in.”

Not naming a QB

Drayton resisted naming a starting quarterback between Forrest Brock, Evan Simon and Tyler Douglas. It wasn’t that he hadn’t picked one, it was that being undecided seems to have helped the Temple quarterback room.

“What I’m not going to do today is announce a starting quarterback,” he said during his weekly availability. “I have a great competitive situation going on in that room right now, and I don’t want to lose that edge. Iron sharpens iron mindset, and everybody in that room is is getting better.”

Temple Tuff

Temple has named its Temple Tuff players as selected by their teammates who will wear single digit numbers this season.

This year’s honorees are linebacker D.J. Woodbury (0), receiver Ian Stewart (1), safety Andreas Keaton (2), defensive end Tra Thomas (3), cornerback Elijah Deravil (4), receiver Dante Wright (5), defensive tackle Latrell Jean (7), tight end James Della Pesca (8) and defensive tackle Demerick Morris (9).

Stewart is the only one returning from last season.

Anderson out

Oklahoma receiver Nic Anderson will miss the opener as he recovers from an undisclosed injury. The 6-foot-4 sophomore caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Oklahoma already had announced it had lost receiver Jayden Gibson for the season with a knee injury.

Andrel Anthony, who led Oklahoma in yards receiving last season before being knocked out for the year with a leg injury, will be available.

Quotable

Drayton, after being pressed about the quarterback situation: “That’s for us, not for y’all. I apologize.”